If you’re a victim of an assault on the road, a civil suit could compensate you for your losses—even if the police don’t press charges.

By: Bob Mionske

When Anders Swanson set out for a ride on Tennessee’s Raccoon Mountain last winter, he had no idea that his peaceful spin would turn into an assault and battery case that would outrage cyclists nationwide. First, he was buzzed (passed way too closely) twice by a pickup truck carrying two teens who, according to the police report, “thought it would be funny to blow an air horn.” When Swanson returned to his car, he was greeted by his tormentors, one of whom blasted him with pepper spray. The case took an even stranger twist when the assailants confessed to their crime, only to reverse their stories within a day and claim that Swanson had assaulted them.